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Who's Who - Alexander von Kluck

Alexander Heinrich
Rudolph von Kluck (1846-1934) was born in Munster on 20 May 1846.

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Von Kluck saw active military service at an early age
during the Seven Weeks' War of 1866 and, in 1870-71, the Franco-Prussian
War. Rising through the army, he became inspector general of the Seventh
Army District in 1913.

During the First World War von Kluck commanded the German
First Army, notably in the
Schlieffen Plan offensive against Paris at the
start of the war in August 1914. An aggressive commander, von Kluck's
impatience (at the request of Second Army commander
von Bulow - who was
unwilling to allow gaps to appear in the German front - he switched his
advance south and east of Paris rather than the planned north and west),
allied with a lack of direction from the German High Command and effective
French and British counter-attacks, led to the failure of the Schlieffen
offensive.

Von Kluck's role in the plan was to command the extreme right of
the German forces in attacking the left flank of the French army and
encircling Paris, bringing a rapid conclusion to the war.

After capturing Brussels on 20 August, von Kluck was
almost successful in defeating France, his forces being halted a mere 13
miles from the French capital in the
First Battle of the Marne from 6-9
September 1914. His forces had earlier fought costly battles against the
British at Mons and at
Le Cateau. With the suspension of the German
offensive the nature of the battle changed to one of trench warfare,
remaining essentially static until the end of the war.

Von Kluck was himself seriously wounded in the leg in
March 1915, retiring from active service the following year in October
1916. He published his memoirs of the Paris offensive (translated as The
March on Paris and the Battle of the Marne) in 1920.